EV Arbitrage: Selling my Mach E

[Mach1E]

It wouldn’t be an Internet forum without arguing semantics. ?

Again, he called it “EV arbitrage.” Both vehicles are “EVs” so by the OPs definition, they’re the same thing.

Without giving my resume, let’s just say that I know exactly what arbitrage is. Was just giving the OP some leeway because it’s his thread. Needless to say, we both understand the point he was making.

FWIW, plenty here have taken advantage of the nitpicky definition of arbitrage. Bought a Mach E at a discount….. then sold for an immediate profit. And we all of course pointed out it’s breaking the IRS rules for the tax credit, but people have done it anyways.

Sponsored

 

[scoopman]

I've put an order in for an i4 M50 (as a backup plan, not arbitrage) in case Ford cannot figure out how to provide me with reliable battery electronics by the fall.

I can put aside any other compromises (such as the excessive ? on the front of the BMW) because I expect a basic amount of reliability and safety from my car.

 

[chrisGT]

I don't want to be a beta tester of a fairly new EV for a third time. So no i4 for me. If Ford does not address the HVBJB reliability I am considering moving to a plug-in hybrid that has been in production for a while, like the X5 45e or the volvo XC60 with the bigger battery.

 

[scoopman]

I don't want to be a beta tester of a fairly new EV for a third time. So no i4 for me. If Ford does not address the HVBJB reliability I am considering moving to a plug-in hybrid that has been in production for a while, like the X5 45e or the volvo XC60 with the bigger battery.

Yes these are some of my sad thoughts as well unfortunately these days.

There's no real commitment at this point on my part to actually purchasing the i4, but doesn't hurt to get some options in such a crazy supply-constrained car market.

Just in case my MME battery electronics decide to go ? again or this never gets a part redesign.

 

[Ming]

My 2021 with 9,300 miles generated offers ranging from 51,301 to 56,805 (Vroom, Carvana, CarGurus, then Driveway) so they're being consistent, although I should get more for substantially lower mileage. A Dallas auto broker offered me $58,000. Only be listed for a few days, I'm hoping to do a private sale for low $60s at least.

Tesla was offering more than $53k for my MME premium RWD SR with 8500 miles. That's almost $10k profit (tax would be cancelling each other as a trade in). But I haven't made mind whether I keep the MME for my daughter so didn't take the offer.

 

[RickMachE]

Tesla was offering more than $53k for my MME premium RWD SR with 8500 miles. That's almost $10k profit (tax would be cancelling each other as a trade in). But I haven't made mind whether I keep the MME for my daughter so didn't take the offer.

In some states, trading in a vehicle can save considerable taxes, up to the value of the trade. Depending on your tax rate, that can be a nice bump.

In Michigan, we're limited this year to a value of $8,000 for tax credit, i.e. $480. So trading gives us little benefit. My dealer didn't even give me an offer, because he knows I will get a lot more on my own either through a service, or privately.

 

[Electric Goat]

Incorrect. BMW always stands for "Bring My Wallet"

Haha... Bought My Wife is a runner up

 

[BadgerGreg]

CarLotz has no locations in Michigan unfortunately.

As to Driveway parking on your driveway, if I sell to them, once I get payment I will tell them that if they aren't picking it up, I will put it on the street, and it's likely to get towed.

Good advice; I’ll be on the lookout for that. Driveway gave me the best offer, so I’m hoping to close with them.

 

[BadgerGreg]

I don't want to be a beta tester of a fairly new EV for a third time. So no i4 for me. If Ford does not address the HVBJB reliability I am considering moving to a plug-in hybrid that has been in production for a while, like the X5 45e or the volvo XC60 with the bigger battery.

Although I wouldn’t consider BMW ownership ‘beta testing’. They’ve been manufacturing EVs for years and have a lot more experience than many other auto companies when it comes to this tech.

 

[Wally5280]

I have one better for you....

I ordered a MME in Oct, and I knew I had to have a new car this month. The MME was delayed and delayed again, it is now scheduled to be built mid July and delivery I am guessing in Sept.

So in March I knew the MME would not arrive on time and I picked up an EV6, and have really been enjoying it. I have seen a car like mine with twice as many miles go for 10k over MSRP.

I could end up with two EV tax credits, get paid more than what I paid for the EV6 to sell it.... I could end up with a new MME for a net price around 25-30k less than retail. (State of CO has a 2500 rebate to boot)

This is almost my exact situation. I ordered a Premium AWD ER on January 18th expecting it to to come in time to replace my car that had a lease ending in June. Then the chip shortage and delays started hitting and I placed an additional order for a CR1 on February 5 in order to hedge against the delays a bit since the delivery times on those were supposed be better.

While I was stewing wondering if I’d have a car come June I decided to test drive the Ioniq 5 and EV6. I enjoyed them both but decided I’d prefer the MME and was not willing to pay over MSRP for them. There was a Kia dealer by me that didn’t add market adjustments to their EV6s but of course didn’t have any on the lot. I had resorted to waiting on my MME and keeping my eyes peeled for EV6/Ioniq 5/MME on a lot. By some miracle, a week after test driving the EV6 the dealer texted and said someone walked away from their EV6 order and it was available for MSRP. I couldn’t believe it so jumped on it figuring I’d drive it until the MME came in or just keep it if I decided I liked it that much. I also flipped my leased vehicle for a little extra profit since it had positive equity. I’ve had the EV6 since March 7th and really enjoy it. Just a great EV all around.

So now that I had solved my lease end conundrum I quickly realized I’d be in a pretty favorable position when it came time to trade in the EV6. I also live in Colorado so the $7500 paired with the $2500 from the state means I’ll make a decent chunk of change when I swap out for the MME. With that knowledge I switched my CR1 order to a GT and lo and behold I got a build date of 6/13 (moved to 6/20) about a month after making the change to the order. My premium order still isn’t scheduled so not sure what I’ll do about that. I actually prefer the lighter interior so I may go that route if it gets scheduled before my GT gets built.

I never intended to take advantage of the tax credits and high EV residual values like this but the MME delays and pure dumb luck have me in a great position. Having the EV6 to drive around in the mean time also makes the waiting a little easier to stomach.

 

[scoopman]

Although I wouldn’t consider BMW ownership ‘beta testing’. They’ve been manufacturing EVs for years and have a lot more experience than many other auto companies when it comes to this tech.

i had a little i3 and it was a great car, I still think of it fondly. My issue with the i4 aside from the ? is that the back seats are really pretty small.

 

[MachTee]

Same thing happened to me with Carvana. Because the MME is a high value car, you need to create an account and contact one of their appraisers. It goes through multiple appraisers before you get an official offer. It takes a couple of days to get the offer that way.

Last time I got a quote, maybe 2-3 months ago, they gave an instant quote and without having to create an account. Are they catching on to what's going on and want a piece of that pie?

 

[Zer0t]

We test drove the i4 M50 and it was great. The biggest issue is we wanted a true crossover, hatchback style, and the need to seat 4 comfortably. The rear seat is quite small and there’s the transmission tunnel. couple that with an aggressive roof line and the rear seat is quite limited. The trunk/hatch space is good abs there is no frunk.

really great driving dynamics and interior quality. If you aren’t toting people around it’s an outstanding car.

 

[RickMachE]

Last time I got a quote, maybe 2-3 months ago, they gave an instant quote and without having to create an account. Are they catching on to what's going on and want a piece of that pie?

Carvana never gave me a quote on the Mach-E, always wanting to do it offline. Same with KBB. Lack of data.

Not surprised that Carvana is lower than nearly everyone else given recent layoffs and bad financials.

Sponsored